@WC excellent spot. Always wanted to see one in Edinburgh.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7223 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has revealed the number of bird strike incidents has risen at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness airports over the past two years due to an increase in wild flocks and growth in air traffic.
Glasgow Airport said it had reported nearly three times the usual number of incidents involving larger birds such as geese so far this year"
Glasgow has gone from 3 last year to 8 so far this year.
Meanwhile...
"Inverness Airport increased by nearly half, from 24 in 2010 and 31 last year to 35 so far this year.
At Aberdeen, although total reports fell from 37 to 27 in 2011, they have risen to 31 so far this year. Edinburgh’s total increased from 55 to 60 in 2011, and has reached 38 for 2012."
So Inverness has had a reasonably big increase, Aberdeen has gone up, but is still down on two years ago, and Edinburgh is currently 22 lower than last year and 17 lower than the year before that. Prestwick is meanwhile down from 24 to 15.
So overall 2011 in Scotland - 145
2012 so far in Scotland - 127So actually the total large bird strikes may actually be going down... And if 127 seems like a high number, the total UK number of large bird strikes is 1,529 in 2011 (strangely the article says the numbers have gone up nationally, but only quotes the rise from 2009-2011 and doesn't have the figures so far this year).
So 1,529 large bird strikes in the UK last year, and no planes downed. The last such downing in the UK? 2002, when a small charter plane hit a large bird.
The Hudson river downing is possibly one of the most famous ones, but that was an entire flock that was struck. The other example given is from last month in Nepal - another small aircraft.
Finally, the spokesman for Glasgow airport says, "The threat of bird strikes is extremely remote but, like all airports, we go to great lengths to minimise and manage any risk"
Why do the media feel the need to take a non-story and wrap it up into a 'we're-all-going-to-die' tale?
Posted 12 years ago # -
"
Scot Gov Greener (@GreenerScotland)
16/10/2012 09:57
Env Minister @PaulWheelhouse visits the hide at the @ScotWildlife Loch of the Lowes reserve.http://pic.twitter.com/xUrePujA
"
Doesn't look like his natural habitat though...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Completely forgot to mention, reminded by lionfish posting on another thread about looking for moorhens. After seeing the Pintail on Saturday on the Figgy, there was a Water Rail on the Sunday. Now that one might be resident, cos they really can hide away in the reeds. Beautiful little thing, kind of like a Moorhen, but prettier. I got a picture of it's leg through the undergrowth... :-/
Sunday off down to the Philiphaugh Cauld to go and see the Salmon leaping.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Down to the Philiphaugh Cauld to see the salmon leaping today. I think in May/June (apparently they leap then, and Sep-Nov) I'm going to plan a ride around the place. Better views (due to sun position and so on) from the opposite side of the river from the visitor centre.
Philiphaugh Salmon 7 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Philiphaugh Salmon 2 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrAlso got a Jay
Philiphaugh Jay by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrAnd a couple of playing Stoats
Philiphaugh Stoats 2 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 12 years ago # -
*flees*
Posted 12 years ago # -
Heron, fishing in the Niddie burn, under a lampost. (Still dark at 7 this moning)
Posted 12 years ago # -
A pair of buzzards quite close at Kirknewton airfield. I hope the car driver behind me was interested as I pointed at one!!
I also have a non-cycling one...
(cheap camera focused on the wrong thing, of course.)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Posted 12 years ago #
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"
Omid Ashtari (@omid)
30/10/2012 04:19
Whoa!! “@milesmaker: A wide-eyed seal appears in Manhattan #Sandy http://pic.twitter.com/PCBluSj8 ”"
Posted 12 years ago # -
@anth: minimoth and I were down by the river Almond a couple of weekends ago, and she saw a fish (unidentified) leap near the weir - would that have been a salmon? I'm afraid I missed it, and we didn't see it again.
@fimm: I kind of like the blurriness! Makes it a little mysterious.
I saw a coot on the canal yesterday morning - I'd not seen one on there for a while. (It was next to the Leamington bridge). + Saw a fox pootling up the steps near there the week before, before disappearing across the road.
Posted 12 years ago # -
@lionfish
That's altogether possible. There definitely are salmon in the Almond, and I've heard tell of them leaping up the weir - definitely the right time of year!
Posted 12 years ago # -
The Coot's been on the canal in the same place every day this week. (just next to the Leamington bridge, in the basin on the Glasgow side of the bridge).
Today I stopped to feed it a bit of my lunch! C:
PS It's wholemeal bread-maker (lowish salt) bread, so hopefully ok for it. (I think there's an RSPB person on here somewhere who can tell me if that was a good idea or not). But I hope it hangs about for a while :)
Posted 12 years ago # -
A wee bit of bread is fine but bread doesn't hold much nutrition for birds so best to leave room in its stomach for coot food. :-)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Thanks Min! - I only gave it a couple of bits for that reason (and because I don't want to go hungry :)
Posted 12 years ago # -
On the Seafield - Easter Road path last night, encountered gorgeous young fox by the side of the path. Not afraid to approach and sniff around, despite me stopping and my bright lights. Got some photos and video on my phone camera, will see if there are any decent ones. Camera is not the best (it actually being a phone), but detached my front light to use a spotlight, so may have enough illumination. It eventually trotted off to join a companion further down the path.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I saw a fox on the Innocent, never seen one there before. When it saw me it jumped over the wall, the 6ft (at least) wall!!
Posted 12 years ago # -
I got this one from my partner, who's in India. Yesterday he got bored and took an autorickshaw to the railway station. As you do. And saw masses of ring-necked parakeets coming into roost on the trees there at sunset. Not quite as good as ten thousand starlings, he says, but not bad at all - their bright green colour and long tails made it a fairly spectacular sight.
Next up is bird spotting by the Taj Mahal apparently. There may be kingfishers.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"Climate change has halved Scottish seabird population in last 25 years, report reveals"
Posted 12 years ago # -
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Maureen Child (@MaureenChild1)
10/11/2012 11:2030-40 Waxwings sitting in a tree at the back of Porty High Street ...just flown. Welcome winter visitors.
http://www.pic.twitter.com/lzq2mXFA
"
Posted 12 years ago # -
I went on a Waxwing hunt yesterday morning before breakfast, but no joy. Headed into work early today to try a few spots that have been good the last few days, but equally fruitless. This having to work during the day and so wasting the hours of daylight that could be better used finding birds is rather annoying.
Did, however, get three male Gadwall on the Figgy Pond - lovely little ducks, lovely plumage [/python]. And met two people (separately) from the LothianBirdNews site who I got chatting to (one even guessing who I was by reason of the bike, who then told me about the Gadwall).
Posted 12 years ago # -
Posted 12 years ago #
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You get quite a few on Linlithgow Loch apparently. First time I've seen them on the Figgy (or ever come to that).
Completely forgot, I did see some Waxwings yesterday, but I was in Murrayfield at the time watching Scotland get thumped by the All Blacks as the mini-flock of 50 or so birds flew over.
Posted 12 years ago # -
"I was in Murrayfield at the time watching Scotland get thumped by the All Blacks as the mini-flock of 50 or so birds flew over"
Which was more entertaining?
Posted 12 years ago # -
Actually, truth be told, the rugby was pretty good. Scotland, for once, had some heart and fight about them. Just not the technical ability to go with it. But saw them beaten something like 33-6 by the All Blacks four years ago, and this was nothing like that snoozefest.
But this is waaaaaaaay OT.
Got the big lens in the hope of lunchtime Waxwings (gonna try the west end of Princes Street Gardens, always get them there at some point, and I've got to go to George Street anyway), but with the rain coming in they might be a little less active.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Right, I'm hunting Waxwings again....
Posted 12 years ago # -
Que WC donning a safari suit and cap and stalking comedically round Princes Street Gardens, cocking the "on" switch on his camera and telling people to be vewy, vewy quiet..
Posted 12 years ago # -
Waxwings usually appear in Daisy Park (Abercorn Park) in Portobello. Well, they have for the past few years.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I'll catch those wascally waxwings....
Trees stripped in the usual haunts today. Coxy, they've already almost stripped Porty bare of berries! I was scotting bacout Sunday morning looking for them, chattign to one resident who days earlier had had 100s visiting.
One spot I checked out yesterday morning had LOADS of berries. Went back today and there are none... Boo!
Posted 12 years ago #
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